The tattered half-rolled dragon banner fluttered in the night wind.
Wounded soldiers were bandaging their wounds and taking healing pills.
Uninjured soldiers started a fire to cook meat and prepare meals.
After entering the territory of Great Wei, the situation was no longer as perilous as on the grasslands, where they had to be constantly on guard for the Huns' army.
In these desolate mountains and forests, even if the Huns' cavalry pursued them, it wouldn't be as difficult to deal with them as on the plains.
Despite this, Oliver Sheng still arranged for scouts and sentries to prevent a surprise attack from the relentless Huns.
"Here, Brothers Oliver, have a lamb testicle to boost your kidneys," Zane Wang said, fishing out a cooked lamb testicle for Oliver.
Oliver looked at Zane with a dark expression. He was only seventeen, at the peak of his youthful vigor, with his Acquired limit cultivation, his vitality was as strong as a wolf's smoke, and his kidneys were as strong as steel. Did he really need a boost?
"Thanks for the thought, but I don't need it. It's you, Brother Zane, who should be taking more of these. Otherwise, in a few years, you won't be able to use it anymore," Oliver immediately returned the lamb testicle.
"Pfft!"
"Hahaha…"
Cameron Guo, Wesley Hu, Hunter Tang, and the others burst into laughter.
The laughter lightened the somber atmosphere a bit.
"Speaking of which, the girl Hua Ruyue from The House of Joy, her singing is truly beautiful, and she's very pretty, like a lark."
"Too bad she's too expensive, can't afford to sleep with her."
"When we drive the Huns away, I'll treat everyone to a night at The House of Joy," Cameron Guo said loudly.
This trip to the grasslands had yielded a lot of spoils, and they would get a good share of silver.
"Great!"
The soldiers cheered at the thought of a night at The House of Joy. It was clear that everyone liked the idea.
"At that time, I'll order ten girls," Hunter Tang said loudly.
"Ten? Can you handle that?" Everyone looked at Hunter with scrutinizing eyes.
Feeling his pride hurt by their looks, Hunter Tang retorted, "What kind of looks are those? Back in the day, I could go ten times a night."
"Eww…"
Everyone made a sound of disbelief.
"A hero doesn't boast about past glories. Can you still pee in a straight line now?"
"Damn it, I'm only in my thirties, not in my sixties…"
…
The group ate meat, drank soup, chatted, and joked, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.
Late at night, except for the soldiers on guard duty, everyone else went into their tents to rest.
Oliver Sheng did not sleep. At this moment, he was quietly watching the golden light screen.
Name: Oliver Sheng
Race: Human
Realm: Acquired Limit (+)
Cultivation Methods: 【Great Sun Heart Sutra (Beginner)】（+）【Wild Bull Strength (Small Accomplishment)】（+）【Blood Fiend Saber Technique (Great Accomplishment)】（Deduction）【Overlord Spear Technique (Small Accomplishment)】
Strength: 35,000 pounds
Talent: Sharpshooter
Kill Points: 6127
Now, his Kill Points had reached 6127, a historical high.
In today's battle, he alone had killed over a thousand Huns, including three Great Perfection Martial Artists, adding to his previous Kill Points, resulting in a substantial gain.
If he were defending a city, he wouldn't have accumulated Kill Points so quickly.
With so many Kill Points, he could easily elevate his cultivation to the Innate realm.
But Oliver Sheng didn't do that. His cultivation speed was already fast enough.
This world was deep and complex, with many demons and people harboring secrets.
Being too conspicuous and not knowing how to hide one's abilities was not a good thing.
Instead of elevating his cultivation, Oliver chose to improve his proficiency in the Great Sun Heart Sutra.
With a single point allocation, he instantly consumed 2000 Kill Points. Insights and experiences about the Great Sun Heart Sutra flooded into his mind.
After a while, Oliver slowly opened his eyes, seemingly carrying a hint of age-old wisdom.
The influx of cultivation experiences made him feel as if he had lived for a century.
Achieving Small Accomplishment in the Great Sun Heart Sutra saved him a lot of time in understanding and practicing, and his cultivation speed increased nearly tenfold.
The spiritual energy in the world continuously refined and transformed into True Essence, tempering his body and blood.
He seemed like a radiant sun, his entire body glowing brilliantly.
Who knew what kind of luck that veteran had to buy such an extraordinary cultivation method from a beggar?
After a night of cultivation, his vitality and True Essence had increased, and his body continued to grow stronger.
Even with the Golden Finger to enhance his cultivation, Oliver Sheng did not abandon self-cultivation.
He continued to train diligently, aiming to astonish everyone quietly.
He wanted to see the view from the peak; in this life, he didn't want to be a monkey.
After a night of cultivation, as the sun rose, a ray of golden light was absorbed into his body, and Oliver Sheng finally woke up.
After breakfast, the team continued their march towards Peace Pass.
In the afternoon, they reached the southern gate of Peace Pass.
The garrison at the southern gate, seeing so many warhorses, was startled, thinking the Huns' cavalry had bypassed the pass and attacked from behind. They immediately went on high alert, deploying troops to the city walls for defense.
As the team outside the city approached, the garrison on the walls saw a half-tattered dragon banner of Great Wei.
Colonel Lin of the Fifth Battalion squinted and recognized the leader as Oliver Sheng.
"This kid made it back alive! Quick, send someone to report to General Calvin Yang that Oliver Sheng's unit has returned," Colonel Lin ordered immediately.
Looking at the towering pass ahead, it was one of the strongholds that repelled the Huns from the north!
Without this pass, the regions of Yong Prefecture and Ding Prefecture would be perpetually overrun by the Huns' cavalry.
As Oliver Sheng and his men approached the gate, it opened, and Colonel Lin led a small group of soldiers to greet them.
"Brother Oliver, you finally made it back," Colonel Lin said happily.
"Colonel Lin!" Oliver Sheng greeted with cupped fists.
Seeing only a little over three hundred men behind Oliver Sheng, Colonel Lin's expression turned solemn. It seemed Oliver Sheng's unit had gone through many brutal battles.
Over a thousand men had set out, but only about three hundred had returned.
More than seven hundred would never come back.
The three to four days of respite for Peace Pass were entirely thanks to Oliver Sheng's unit.
Soon, General Calvin Yang arrived. The Huns' army attacking the city had retreated today, allowing him to rush over from the northern gate tower.
Seeing General Calvin Yang, Oliver Sheng dismounted and choked up.
"General, I couldn't bring them all back."
Seeing only about three hundred returnees, many of them wounded, Calvin Yang sighed inwardly.
He walked up to Oliver Sheng and patted his shoulder.
"You've done very well. Don't blame yourself."
Bringing back three hundred riders was already a great fortune; he had feared Oliver Sheng's entire unit might be wiped out on the grasslands.
Looking at this still somewhat youthful boy, only seventeen years old, yet daring to lead a thousand cavalry into the grasslands, how much courage did that take?
In this frontier, fighting the enemy, Oliver Sheng's bravery made everyone forget that he was only seventeen.
"Your mission was excellently completed. You bought three to four days of breathing room for Peace Pass, which is crucial. Their sacrifices will be remembered by me and all of Peace Pass," Calvin Yang said with a face full of gratitude, looking at the young man before him.
"My unit destroyed countless supplies of the Huns' army, killed dozens of Huns' supply units, destroyed over a hundred small Huns' tribes, and killed more than eight thousand Huns' cavalry. Today, we return, unable to fully accomplish the general's orders…" Oliver Sheng reported their achievements.
The soldiers behind him stood tall. They had returned, but over seven hundred comrades had stayed on the grasslands. They had to stand proud; their brothers were watching them.
"Well done. They are all brave sons of Great Wei. Your contributions are immense. You are the pride of the Peace Army. I am proud of you," Calvin Yang said loudly, looking at the soldiers.
"Wind!"
"Great Wind!"
"Great Wind!"
The soldiers behind Oliver Sheng shouted. Though only a little over three hundred, their momentum was like a thousand troops, causing the soldiers behind Colonel Lin to change their expressions.
Colonel Lin also looked at those soldiers. This momentum was entirely from elite troops who had fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Such momentum, these three hundred men, were truly elite. Calvin Yang's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Welcome the heroes back!"
Calvin Yang said loudly, looking at the army.
"Welcome the heroes back!"
Colonel Lin and others shouted.
Oliver Sheng's unit had sacrificed seven hundred men, buying three to four days of respite for Peace Pass. To Peace Pass, they were heroes.
Oliver Sheng and his men led their horses into the city. Each of his soldiers stood tall, full of pride.
Over three hundred men, armored and armed, leading more than three thousand warhorses, made for a grand sight.
These were their spoils of war, their badges of honor.
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